Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
This 1962 Chevrolet wagons sales catalog documents one of the more interesting moments in Chevrolet's product lineup, when the division was simultaneously selling two fundamentally different kinds of station wagons under the same brand umbrella. The Impala 6-Passenger Wagon represented Chevrolet's full-size, V8-powered family wagon line, built on the same conventional front-engine platform as the rest of the Impala range and aimed at traditional American family transportation needs. The Greenbrier De Luxe, by contrast, was something else entirely: a rear-engined, air-cooled six-cylinder vehicle built on the Corvair 95 platform, with forward-control styling that placed the driver ahead of the front wheels in a configuration more reminiscent of the Volkswagen Transporter than of any conventional American station wagon. The Greenbrier was essentially a windowed, better-trimmed version of Chevrolet's Corvan panel van, configured with six or eight doors and priced at $2,655, a layout some automotive historians have since described as a forerunner of the modern minivan. Collectors building an archive of magazines from 1962 will find this catalog a genuinely useful document of just how differently Chevrolet was willing to approach the same basic family-hauling problem within a single model year.
The Greenbrier's engineering set it apart dramatically from anything else in Chevrolet's wagon lineup at the time. It used the same air-cooled, horizontally opposed Turbo-Air six engine found in the standard Corvair passenger car, mounted in the rear of the vehicle beneath a slightly raised cargo floor, an unusual configuration for an American vehicle that drew clear inspiration from the competing Volkswagen Transporter. Chevrolet offered the Greenbrier with seating for up to nine passengers when equipped with the optional third-row seat, and the model could even be fitted with a dealer-installed camper package, reflecting the genuinely flexible, multi-purpose role Chevrolet envisioned for the vehicle within its broader lineup. The Impala wagon, meanwhile, continued the more conventional formula that had made Chevrolet's full-size wagons a dominant force in the family car market throughout the postwar boom, offering V8 power, generous cargo capacity, and the bold styling cues that defined Chevrolet's full-size lineup for 1962. For collectors researching the history of Chevrolet's early-1960s product strategy, this catalog's side-by-side presentation of two such different approaches to the station wagon segment offers a vivid, primary-source illustration of the company's willingness to experiment even while its core business remained solidly conventional.
By 1962, the Corvair-based Greenbrier was already nearing the end of its commercial relevance within Chevrolet's broader lineup, even as this catalog presented it as a viable, fully featured family vehicle. General Motors would discontinue the Rampside pickup and panel van versions of the Corvair 95 platform in 1964, leaving the Greenbrier as the only remaining model on that chassis by 1965, after which Chevrolet abandoned rear-engined vans entirely in favor of the conventional front-engine, water-cooled Chevy Van. This catalog therefore captures the Greenbrier during a relatively brief window of genuine market viability, before Chevrolet's own engineering direction shifted decisively away from the rear-engine, air-cooled approach the Corvair platform represented.
About the Publication
This item is a manufacturer sales catalog rather than a consumer magazine, produced by Chevrolet specifically to showcase its 1962 station wagon lineup to potential buyers through dealership showrooms. Catalogs of this kind were standard promotional tools throughout the American automotive industry during the postwar decades, typically featuring detailed specifications, color photography or illustration of available models and trim levels, and persuasive copy intended to highlight each vehicle's design and engineering advantages over competing offerings. Unlike contemporary car magazines, which offered independent editorial commentary and comparative reviews, manufacturer catalogs like this one were produced entirely by or for the automaker itself, making them valuable primary-source documents for understanding exactly how a company chose to present its own products to the buying public at a specific moment in time. Chevrolet's 1962 wagon catalog, spanning both the conventional Impala line and the unconventional Corvair-based Greenbrier, reflects the company's broader practice of producing dedicated, model-specific sales literature alongside its more general full-line brochures during this period.
Key Highlights Inside
- The Impala 6-Passenger Wagon, representing Chevrolet's full-size, V8-powered family wagon line for 1962. This model carried forward the conventional front-engine layout and generous cargo capacity that had made Chevrolet's full-size wagons a dominant presence in the American family car market throughout the postwar period.
- The Greenbrier De Luxe, a fundamentally different vehicle built on the rear-engined, air-cooled Corvair 95 platform rather than Chevrolet's conventional full-size chassis. Its forward-control styling and Volkswagen Transporter-style layout made it one of the more unusual entries in Chevrolet's entire 1962 lineup.
- Detailed specifications likely covering both wagon platforms' distinct engineering approaches, given the catalog's stated focus on specifications and design features. The contrast between a conventional V8 wagon and a rear-engined, air-cooled van-wagon hybrid would have required genuinely different technical presentations within the same publication.
- Documentation of seating and configuration options, particularly relevant to the Greenbrier, which could be ordered with up to nine-passenger seating via an optional third-row bench, along with available six-door or eight-door configurations not found on Chevrolet's conventional wagon line.
- Note: Specific page-by-page content and additional trim-level details beyond the documented Impala and Greenbrier models have not been independently confirmed for this catalog. The highlights above reflect verified information about both vehicle platforms during the 1962 model year.
Condition & Rarity
Surviving copies of early-1960s manufacturer sales catalogs are evaluated using criteria suited to their format as compact, dealership-distributed promotional literature rather than standard consumer magazines, with completeness of pages, cover condition, and overall structural integrity standing as the primary factors collectors weigh. This catalog is described as being in good condition with minor wear on the edges typical for its age, and its compact 7-by-5.9-inch dimensions are consistent with the smaller-format sales literature Chevrolet and other manufacturers commonly produced for dealership distribution during this period, distinct from the larger full-line brochures intended for more extensive showroom display. Because catalogs of this kind were produced as disposable promotional material rather than intended for long-term preservation, surviving copies in good condition reflect a level of care that distinguishes them from the substantial majority that were discarded once a model year concluded or a particular vehicle was purchased or passed over.
Sales catalogs documenting Chevrolet's 1962 wagon lineup, particularly those covering the unusual Corvair-based Greenbrier alongside the more conventional Impala wagon, draw specific interest from collectors of Corvair and early Chevrolet van history, a niche that has grown as interest in unconventional mid-century American vehicle engineering has expanded among collectors. Collectors evaluating any surviving copy of this catalog should prioritize completeness of pages and the legibility of specifications and imagery for both featured model lines, given the genuine rarity of catalogs that document the Greenbrier's distinctive engineering in detail. A good-condition copy of this scope represents a meaningful primary-source document for collectors and historians researching Chevrolet's early-1960s product diversification strategy.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Manufacturer sales catalogs documenting Chevrolet's distinctive early-1960s product lineup, particularly those covering the unconventional Corvair-based Greenbrier alongside more traditional full-size models, are a genuinely interesting category for collectors of automotive history and mid-century American design. Since this particular catalog does not have a dedicated Chevrolet collection link available, the broader 1962 magazine archive at OriginalMagazines.com is the best starting point for collectors looking to explore other publications from that specific year in American automotive and popular culture. It offers a practical way to continue building a collection centered on the design and engineering experimentation of the early 1960s.